Summer surge for hate crime

34% rise after Black Lives Matter storm

LEVELS of racially and religiously motivated hate crime had a huge spike in the wake of this summer’s Black Lives Matter protests.

The number of incidents surged in June – with a 34 per cent increase compared with the same month last year. Official Home Office data showed there were 6,697 reported in england and Wales during that month, compared with 5,002 in June 2019.

In July levels remained high, with 6,677 reports.

The figures appeared to reflect tensions amid Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd in the Us.

Far-Right counter-protests also took place across the UK in June – condemned by Boris Johnson as ‘racist thuggery’.

The increases followed a dip in hate crime reported to the police during March, April and May, the months when the country was largely locked down due to coronavirus.

The provisional findings said: ‘Increases in these offences are common when there are an increased number of protests.’

The true figures are likely to be higher because data from Greater Manchester Police was not included due to a long-standing IT glitch. Most forces saw an increase, with 27 recording a rise of a quarter or more, the Home Office document said. It came as separate figures showed all types of hate crime hit the highest level on record in the 12 months to the end of March.

There were 105,090 recorded, an 8 per cent rise year-on-year. The number of racially motivated offences rose by 4,000 to 76,070. But religiously motivated ones fell by 5 per cent to 6,822.